Welcome to The Plague Pit – issue number 16.

From: The Daily Telegraph 08.05.20

‘SIR – The Prime Minister has said that he went through “litres and litres” of oxygen during his treatment in intensive care at St Thomas’s Hospital and did not need to be connected to a respirator.

In his video tribute when he left the hospital, he especially thanked two nurses, Jenny McGee and Luis Pitarma. Mr Pitarma is a senior nurse and a specialist in the use of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO). Presumably Mr Johnson did not need a respirator as his blood was much more efficiently oxygenated using ECMO.

Fortunately for the Prime Minister, St Thomas’s is one of only five hospitals in this country that have this fantastic piece of equipment…….’

.

Every new intensivist

Chants this mantra from their list.

Ministers, minions – all know this:

‘Oxygen is vital’.

.

Early COVID victims ask

“Can I try that O2 mask?

My lungs are failing in the task and

Oxygen is vital”.

.

Extra help, (For BoJo? Who knows?),

Can be useful with this zoonose.

Mask for ‘CPAP’. Tight. With pressure.

Oxygen is vital.

.

Endotracheal* intubation

Comes next. After? Ventilation.

Mechanized. For several days. As

Oxygen is vital.

.

Extracorporeal devices

Can assist in mortal crisis.

Membranes, pumps, a last resort – when

Oxygen is vital.

.

Even students far from clever

Can deduce that no-one ever

Moved off ECMO, home in days (where

Oxygen’s still vital).

.  

Eminent professors should

Comment only when they would

Make a more instructive point than

‘Oxygen is vital’.

.

The Good Soldier (08/05/20)

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*(American pronounciation: en′dō trā′kē əl = EN-do-TRAY-kyul)